Wanted: A Keen Eye and a Conscience
by JoyfulSilence
Summary: Oh the things she could do with such an elegant mixture of stained wood and polished metal. Oh the things she could do to him, to keep him away.


Toris just stood there; His hand was poised, Quivering violently, but poised, inches from the door to the study where he knew Natalya had retired to naught more than a half hour previous. _Toris._ He thought to himself_; For once in your life don't be afraid._ He forced his hand forward tapping lightly on the door, 'M-miss Belarus?' His voice shook. He received silence in return. He knocked Firmer on the door 'Miss Belarus?' He repeated. Still nothing, But he could hear small movements coming from behind the door. Perhaps she just didn't hear me? He moved his hand to the handle, pushing it open. 'Miss Belarus, I don't think y-'

THUNK!

Toris' Point was interrupted by the Whoosh of a sharp silver knife passing mere millimeters from the side of his face and lodging into the wall behind him, 'C-C-Careful, Miss' He could feel his voice shaking, 'Th-th-that almost hit me.' He looked to Natalya as she held another knife in her hand. He offered a warm smile to her, to which she responded with a frozen glare, 'I know you didn't mean-'

'If I intended to actually hit you, I would have' She scoffed, Turning her attention instead to the blade. Oh the things she could do with such an elegant mixture of stained wood and polished metal. She smirked at the thought. Oh the things she could do to him, to keep him away. From herself. From her brother. Oh her brother, dearest Ivan, he wouldn't be so forgiving if she did such things. For whatever reason, this... Boy was his favorite. 'tch' she said, just audibly 'what do you want, boy?' Toris faltered as he stepped into the study, staying along the wall in obvious fear of the knives. Natalya couldn't help but laugh at the weakness he showed. It annoyed her.

'I-I-I was...I was just wondering' he stammered awkwardly 'just wondering if...' Natalya groaned audibly in frustration at his obvious nervousness, flicking the smaller knife in his direction. It caught the sleeve of his jacket and looked to be pinning it to the wall. 'If you... Maybe wanted to go out some time?' he stumbled over his words. He didn't even notice! Natalya couldn't believe it. A knife flew at him, pinning him to the wall and he didn't even notice. A conniving smirk formed on her lips. 'w-with me...' he tacked on obliviously.

Oh this was good. Her smirk broadened and she stood up. Instinctively Toris went to step forward and noticed just then the knife at his sleeve. He uttered a noise of surprise. Natalya huffed. She was going to have to try to converse with her brothers favorite pet. It was almost degrading. But it would be so worth it. She took a few more steps, so she was within arms reach of him, acting as if she was gong to remove the knife. Toris shifted a bit on the spot. She was awfully close.

'tell me, boy' she said, attracting his attention to her words rather than her actions as she hooked but another knife into his sleeve, twisting it a bit, he was still completely oblivious. 'How many times have you asked me that very question?' she drove the blade, and his sleeve, into the wall.

'Uh...' he thought for a moment. She hooked another knife into his other sleeve.

'This week, alone' she said calmly, pushing that blade, too, into the wall. She had to try hard to suppress her laughter, but she was borderline hysterics. Any other, normal, sane person would be freaking out by now. Razor-sharp knives, moments from their skin, pinning them, essentially immobilizing them. But no, this boy didn't even notice. It certainly wasn't nerve keeping him from reacting. She secured his sleeve to the wall with yet another precious metal blade. 

'Uh... I-I'd say five... M-maybe six times' he stammered, giving his usual oblivious shrug. Giving an indignant huff she pinned the body of his jacket to the wall. Both sides at the same time, just above the hip. 

'Fifteen times' she enunciated, 'fifteen times, you've asked me this week' Toris was just surprised she'd counted, really.

'Oh?' he said. He wasn't shaking as much anymore, she noticed, driving the silver into his pant leg. 'I hadn't realized, miss.' she ignored his driveling.

'And what did I say to each and every one of those requests?' she hummed.

'No'... Or 'do you not have work to do?' he said, his gaze breaking from her. He looked so pathetic. Like a small animal meeting a shotgun for the last time. But he was surprisingly aware of her refusals, so...

'Why persist?' she inquired pinning yet another knife into his pant leg. She still had one left on her, where to put it?

'I-I-I' he stammered 'I just... Always thought... Thought my luck would change' he sounded so hopeful. It was disgustingly sweet, but pathetic.

'let's go with this then,' she smirked, 'you get yourself out of this, maybe I'll consider' she just couldn't suppress her smirk. If anyone could look both a mix of thrilled and puzzled, it was certainly him.

'I-I don't... I don't understand' he said, desperately, 'get out of what?'

'You've got to be kidding me!' Natalya deadpanned. She pushed the last knife within obvious sight, just to the right of his face. It wasn't holding anything, but it did its job. She took a couple steps back to admire her handiwork as she watched Toris' eyes widen in horror as he realized the situation at hand. He shifted and struggled, trying helplessly to get out.

'How did you—?' he panicked, trying to wrench his arms out, to no avail. She was proud of her work. He couldn't move at all. 'Good luck with that, boy' she laughed leaving the room, and him behind.

-

It was much later when Natalya decided to check to see the progress of the boy. She didn't expect much, she'd driven the knives in pretty deep. And he wasn't exactly a tough customer.

'Hey, boy, any luck with your hopeless struggle?' she snickered pushing the study door open. She let out a silent gasp. Gone. The boy'd gotten out somehow. She could see the vaguely human-shaped pattern of knife holes in the wall. Small cracks formed up the wall, rooting from the holes. Clearly he struggled.

She stopped dead.

That son of a bitch took her knifes with him. Oh he was going to pay. She turned on her heel and stormed out only to run directly into Ivan.

'Watch yourself, Natalya' he said taking an immediate step backwards out of instinct. 'I have been looking for you, actually. I was wondering. You can explain the situation of little Toris, da?' Natalya managed to only mouth the word situation before a small voice spoke behind Ivan.

's-sir' Toris muttered 'I have said... It was a kitchen accident. I was c-careless, sir. I-if you wouldn't mind, sir, you have given me plenty of work I nee—'

'hush, Comrade' Ivan said sharply. 'i do not believe that for one single moment.' Curiosity washed over Natalya. She craned her neck over her brother's shoulder. There stood Toris, looking In A sorry state. Where his jacket was she couldn't have guessed. His white shirt was torn in places and covered in larges spots of blood along his arms and at his sides. She could clearly see deep knife wounds beneath the tears. His right hand was haphazardly bandaged and, too, stained with blood. He turned his head immediately in embarrassment as he spotted her watching and her eyes darted to the line of red across his cheek.  
It was a pretty shallow cut, she noticed, but it was still there. It was obvious. Just from the sight of him, she could tell that he'd given a major struggle and had, as well, tried to grasp the blades themselves to pull hem out. She considered what his escape route might have been, but only for a moment. For some reason, she couldn't control the wave of guilt that passed over her.

Why would he have done this? Why would he have risked self harm to get out of her little trap? Her thoughts froze.

_'You get yourself out of this, maybe I'll consider'_

No. He couldn't have done that just to get to her. He wasn't that stupid. He knew she was banking on him not getting out, right?

He had always spoken of wishful thinking.

Damnit.

'I have asked Eduard and Raivis. Neither of them knew of a kitchen accident.' Ivan turned his head back a little towards Toris, who instantly recoiled. 'Have you anything to say?' he looked back at his sister with the intensity she loved so much.

For a moment the guilt told her she had been wrong.

For a moment she considered spilling the incident.

'i was not there to witness such disfigurements on the boy.' Natalya said flatly, evading the whole truth. She tilted her head up and beamed at her brother. She could see for a moment the dopey, hopeful look on Toris' face out of the corner of her eye. What he could possibly be hopeful for was beyond her. She ignored it. 'anyway, back to the subject of you and I getting married, bratki' she watched Toris' face fall instantly to a look if severe hurt as he turned solemnly and left. Yet another pang of guilt. What was this? It's not like she cared about the boy. Yet she felt a need to call to him. Almost, perhaps, to apologize. But the words couldn't form on her tongue and her thoughts were cut off by her brother's rapid Russian about a meeting he forgot he HAD to be in at that moment. And he rushed of just as fast.

She stood awkwardly in the corridor for a few moments before opting to go lay in her room.

-

She wasn't there five minutes before there was a knock at her door. She stayed silent. Perhaps, whoever it was, would give up. Of course not. The knocking continued, followed by a familiar 'Miss Belarus.'

'What is it then?' she said sharply.

'M-may I?' Toris said through the wood of the door

'if it's absolutely necessary' the residual pang of guilt stopped her from flat refusing. Very cautiously, very slowly he pushed the door open. He was quivering, clutching something close to him.

'miss-' he began. She looked over to him; even in the dim light he could see her piercing look. He'd always loved the expression in her eyes, they were always so subtle, but beautiful. He lost his train of thought when she, instead, opened her mouth to speak.

'You could have destroyed me' she said immediately. 'You could have told my brother everything. Yet you put the onus on yourself. Why?'

'Could you be happy without your brother's trust?' he offered. Natalya only responded with open mouthed silence. She wasn't willing to readily accept that it was consciously for her benefit 'that's why' he tacked on. 'I am but a servant to this house. My actions are not considered until they harm another. Such a 'kitchen accident' should not have become as big a deal as Mr. Braginski Made it seem.' Natalya opened her mouth to speak 'it's not a big deal, miss. I just want your happiness.'

'More so than your own?' she scoffed. She didn't have to look to him to know he'd flushed red. He shifted the bundle in his arms.

'These are yours' he said immediately changing the subject. He took a couple of steps forward and placed the bundle on the foot if her bed. Natalya could see now that the fabric of the bundle was his torn, bloodstained jacket. 'I'm sorry I didn't have something better to hold them in' he added awkwardly. 'But I b-believe I've sustained enough from these.' She pushed the sleeve away from the top to reveal a glint of metal. The blades. She pulled one out and examined it for tarnishes. Not a single one. In fact he'd taken the time to clean and polish the blood and paint and drywall dust from the wall off each and every one and left them with a glassy shine.

Without another word he nodded his head once and turned to leave.

'Wait' she said without a thought. Toris stopped immediately. It was an order; he was to obey all orders. He looked at her blankly. It was a moment of awkward silence

'Th... Thank you... Toris' she said with a small nod. He couldn't help but smile.

She hadn't used his real name for hundreds of years.

~~~~  
**This is totally dedicated to Elise. She's the Bela to my Liet. You know, Without the knives. Love you, Hun.**


End file.
